Vision, Mission and Values

Our Vision

Harrisdale Senior High School's vision is to be a school of excellence in learning and teaching

Our Mission

Harrisdale Senior High School is committed to the pursuit of excellence and preparing young adults to engage confidently and responsibly in an ever-changing global community.

Harrisdale Senior High School will provide a successful and enjoyable schooling experience for students. We want every student to develop the dispositions and skills to lead happy, healthy and balanced lives. We want every student to exit school as a confident, capable and caring young adult prepared for his or her next step to further education, training or the world of work, and seeking to make a positive contribution to our global community.

The Path

Achieving our mission calls on the deep engagement and purposeful interaction of four key partners in our learning community: our students; our teachers and support staff; our families; and our friends and external support groups within the wider school community.

We will work together to build a sense of belonging and connection - among our students; among our staff; between our students and staff, our school and families, our school and the wider community; and, importantly, with our ever-changing global community. We will provide learning opportunities that connect learners with each other, ideas, people, beliefs and values. We will prepare young adults with the self-belief, knowledge, skills and desire to lead happy, productive lives and to make a positive difference to their community.

Background

The vision and mission established in 2016 steered planning and preparation for the opening of Harrisdale Senior High School. On 3 May 2016, the principal and 128 parents of Year 6 students met to share their goals and aspirations for Harrisdale Senior High School. An externally facilitated workshop ensured that everyone was given the opportunity for their voice to be heard.

We agreed that our goal was to establish Harrisdale as a school of excellence. Importantly, by that we meant that our school must stand for:

high expectations

high performance – we believe in setting the bar high but achievable for every student. We want our students to understand and value the importance of effort, perseverance and self-belief to the achievement of challenging and worthwhile goals

a holistic education – we believe in the development of the ‘whole child’ – academically, physically, socially, emotionally and spiritually

high standards of behaviour – we expect everyone in our school community to respect each other and our environment. We believe in the right of all children to learn and of all teachers to teach in a safe and orderly school and classroom environment

high standards of dress – we support a school uniform that engenders pride, belonging and school spirit

Engaging our school community in processes to clarify and confirm our School’s purpose and goals is fundamental to our mission accomplishment. Involving all partners ensures that we identify and commit to our individual and shared roles and responsibilities.

Harrisdale Senior High School is an Independent Public School committed to high standards and high expectations of our students. At Harrisdale, our goal is to bring out the best in every learner such that our students enjoy success and develop as capable, confident and caring young adults.